


IDWverse and the Nature of Robot Sexuality

by amarielah



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Autobot culture, Canon Compliant, Decepticon culture, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Meta, Speculation, Xenobiology, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 14:20:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19175059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amarielah/pseuds/amarielah
Summary: Canonically, the IDWverse Cybertronians are heavily implied to have some analogue to sex, and yet have (implied) sexual habits that differ quite drastically from organic species. This meta explores an in-universe explanation for this state of affairs, as well as its broader implications for Cybertronian culture.





	1. Pair Bonding

The first IDWverse implies very strongly, starting from the Chaos Theory and onward, that Cybertronians have something analogous to sex. Megatron mentions ‘lust’ as a drive that he’s risen above, for example. Then came MtMtE and RiD/ex-RiD with the concept of sparkmates. Sentinel Prime later mentions conjunx endura ‘swapping fuel’, which to me implies some kind of ‘sticky’ setup. And the Cybertronians that have mouths will occasionally use them for kissing.

However, canonically speaking, there’s very little indication of Cybertronians participating in what humans would consider casual sex. Indeed, Prowl appears to be rather baffled by the fact that Spike Witwicky has multiple sexual partners. (See: The Transformers 2009, issue 25.) The out-of-universe explanation for this is obviously that the original writer, Simon Furman, was squarely in the ‘asexual, aromantic, agender (except actually they’re all dudes)’ camp, and later entries had to write around it to keep things somewhat consistent. Moreover, too much overt sexuality from characters whose primary function is to sell toys to children is not something that Hasbro would ever allow.

That’s the [ Doylist ](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist) explanation. But I have a [ Watsonian ](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist) perspective to explore. (Largely because it pops up frequently in my fanfics.)

From an evolutionary perspective, most things that feel physically good serve some broader purpose in survival and/or reproduction. And although Cybertronians aren’t subject to evolution by natural selection -- at least, not in the same way that biological organisms are -- this logic still applies. Sex is a costly business: it takes time and energy away from the pursuit of other things, like finding fuel. (Food for organic beings; literal fuel for mechanoid ones.)

So, with reproduction taken completely out of the equation, what survival advantages would something like sex provide to a mechanical species? The source text gives us an answer: pair bonding.

Cybertronians are a highly social species, naturally organizing into complex, hierarchical groups. It makes perfect sense that they would have a mechanism for some kind of pair bond, as having somebody with a vested interest in your survival is very beneficial in the context of a hierarchical group where individuals are competing for resources and status. Even if you take offspring completely out of the equation.

This exists to a certain extent in humans, for example, where sex triggers the release of ‘cuddly’ neurotransmitters. But, given the apparent lack of pervasive casual sex in Cybertronians, I would argue that the effect for them is far more pronounced. To the point that even a once-off encounter could lead to the development of an emotional attachment.

This would naturally cause them to be far, far more selective with partners, and would explain the existence of a social institution which approximates marriage. If having sex with someone practically _guarantees_ that you’ll end up getting deeply emotionally attached to them, you’ll naturally be incredibly cautious about who you choose to do it with.

This has interesting implications for the existence of sexual jealousy. Offspring may not be in the equation, but no person has infinite resources or time. If your partner is liable to get deeply attached to anyone that they have sex with, this means that every additional partner presents the real possibility of undermining the survival advantage conferred by having a bondmate to begin with. Now, I’m sure this would vary from bot to bot, and change depending on the context (abundant energon vs shortages; war vs peace), but it would certainly lend itself to the existence of sexual jealousy and mate guarding. It would also make cheating less likely, however, since juggling too many intense emotional bonds at once could become incredibly stressful.

This wouldn’t preclude the existence of polyamory, of course, but it would make negotiating such relationships very emotionally charged and tricky.

It also has implications for the nature of sexual violence. Using prisoners or enemies as a source of purely sexual gratification would become exceedingly rare. But it would also mean that any non-consensual sexual intimacy would also be a form of non-con _emotional_ intimacy. Which could lead to some truly abusive, twisted relationships.

I don’t think all sexual acts would carry the same level of ‘risk’, however. Full-on interfacing is obviously the most intimate and therefore the most likely to result in the formation of a pair bond. But, assuming that the mechanism by which Cybertronians have sex is indeed ‘sticky’, that wouldn’t be the only sexual act available to them.

So, I think that ‘friends with benefits’ setups would still be a thing, but would happen more rarely than they do with humans, and would usually involve only sexual acts that fall short of interfacing. Repeated contact would still come with ‘risk’ of deeper feelings forming, though. This is what I think happened between Rodimus and Drift, for example.

By that same token, I think having sex with absolute strangers would be pretty rare. Not non-existent, but certainly not nearly as common as it is among certain organic species. And bots who indulge in such behavior would likely be seen as desperately lonely, rather than desperately horny.

Interfacing being primarily a means of establishing and reinforcing pair bonds would also inevitably lead to cultural differences in the factions. Which I will explore in the next chapter.


	2. Factional Differences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following meta presents an interpretation that differs quite drastically from the standard in the fandom at large. Please note that this all applies strictly to the IDWverse, and strictly as an in-universe extrapolation of what we see on the page. Given the out-of-universe explanation, which is mostly that Hasbro are cowards, I don’t begrudge anyone deciding to ignore certain aspects of canon completely.

In most continuities, I think it’s safe to say that Decepticons are the ‘party faction’. I mean, the first example in franchise history of robots getting drunk  [ happened with the G1 Decepticons ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBUXVZcb2M) .

But I don’t think this applies in-universe to the first IDW continuity, where Megatron canonically frowns upon any overt lack of discipline, and has permanently activated his own F.I.M chip. In this iteration of the franchise, Decepticons are also explicitly an ideological movement. And it’s an ideology which stresses order, conformity, and ideological purity.

The Decepticons are shown to have a highly competitive culture, where getting ahead usually means screwing over others. They have to worry about things like their comrades reporting them to the D.J.D in the event that they behave in a manner that is contrary to Decepticon doctrine. 

In other words, it’s a culture of paranoia and distrust. And the further up in the ranks you get, the more and more toxic it becomes. This isn’t to say that Decepticons don’t form friendships or fall in love; canonically, they do. But it’s very likely that these relationships are generally a lot more fraught with suspicion than their Autobot equivalents. And even if they find someone who they trust enough to be emotionally vulnerable with, that person now becomes a weakness for competitors to exploit. 

The Scavengers are the nicest, most emotionally healthy bunch of Decepticons we ever meet – and they’re the lowest of the low, rank-wise. Blast-Off pined after Onslaught for _literal eons_ without revealing his feelings _,_ and he uses joking threats of usurping Onslaught’s position as a means of flirting. I think that says a lot _._

So, in the context of sex carrying a guaranteed level of emotional vulnerability, I think that the IDW!Decepticons would actually tend towards prudishness. Finding a sparkmate in such an environment of distrust must be even more difficult than normal. ‘Friends with benefits’ arrangements can also be highly compromising. So I think that most Decepticons would be effectively celibate. And hey, that just means more of their energy can be poured into fighting for the Cause.

Basically, by Decepticon standards, the Autobots are a bunch of hippies who indulge in ‘free love’. ‘Typical Autobot softness and sentimentality,’ as it were.

The Decepticons would also have very, very strict provisions against fraternization. As in, getting caught canoodling with an Autobot under any circumstances is liable to get them on The List. Sexually assaulting prisoners is therefore not common at all – for reasons of self-preservation and practicality, rather than ethics or compassion. If having sexual contact with a prisoner comes with a very real risk of coming to care for them in some capacity, then such a prohibition would only make sense.

That said, I imagine it’s still very tempting for certain higher-ranking Decepticons to become ‘involved’ with Autobot prisoners, since Cybertronians are highly social and obviously crave intimacy. For such individuals, being in a position of absolute power over their partner could be a very intoxicating proposition, leading them to flout the anti-fraternization laws.

You can imagine just how deeply unhealthy and abusive most of these relationships could end up being, with neither party coming out the other end unscathed. (This is my headcanon for what happened between Tarn and Skids, after the incident with the smelter.)

This would also happen with Autobots, of course, but probably more rarely. And, when discovered, it would be prosecuted as a violation of ethics rather than a matter of fraternization. Autobots would undoubtedly have taboos against becoming romantically entangled with Decepticons, but I doubt there would be official penalties in place. ‘Freedom is the right of all sentient beings’ extends to bodily autonomy and choices of sexual partners, after all. Though becoming involved with a Decepticon would still lose them a lot of trust and earn them a whole lot of scorn.


End file.
